A professional actor for more than 25 years, and an equally enthusiastic theater teacher, Jill has taught and performed with some of the top organizations on the east coast, and more recently, in Central Texas. Founder and Director of the Actors Lab of Austin, a private studio that has coached and guided high school students into some of the top pre-professional training programs in the country. Jill currently stars as Buttermilk Biscuit in the locally produced Emmy Award winning Biscuit Brothers PBS TV series. In addition to playing Buttermilk on camera, she plays many roles behind the scenes on the show, including assistant to the director and marketing and development coordinator. Leberknight is a two-time Austin Critic Table Awards nominee and an active participant in the Austin Theater community. She holds a BA from Penn State University department of Theater and an MFA in acting from the University of Texas at Austin. She's also a full-time Real Estate Agent, community volunteer, and full time mom.

Actors Lab of Austin has teamed up with the Penfold Theatre Company and is offering its successful college admission preparatory workshop this fall.

College & Pre-Professional Admission Workshop

This course is designed for students who are considering or have already identified the performing arts for their post-secondary education. Work with performing arts college audition coach Jill Leberknight from Penfold Theater Company and begin the process of developing your audition portfolio. Students will learn how to select, rehearse and perfect competitive audition material; how to write a resume and conduct successful interviews; how to prepare for and obtain quality head shots; and most importantly, how to identify colleges and training programs that suit the students career and personal goals. Students who have worked with Jill have gone on to study at some of the top pre-professional theater, music theater, and vocal performance training programs in the country.